A former mayor of Yan Ta Khao Municipality has been sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for using a municipal vehicle for personal purposes and charging fuel expenses to the local authority over nearly a decade.
The Trang office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) said on Thursday that the Region 9 Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases had convicted Wutthichai Sunthornnon and ordered him jailed without suspension.
The NACC had previously found grounds to pursue criminal and disciplinary action against Mr Wutthichai and referred the case to public prosecutors.
According to the court, Mr Wutthichai regularly used a municipal Toyota Fortuner assigned to the municipality as his personal vehicle while serving as mayor. The vehicle was used for travel between his home and office and was often parked near his residence rather than at municipal facilities.
The court also found that the vehicle was used to attend social functions, traditional ceremonies and other non-official activities.
Fuel expenses arising from the vehicle’s use were repeatedly reimbursed from the municipality’s budget, resulting in losses of 976,949.30 baht. The damages comprised 47,361 baht between 2011 and 2012, 928,588.30 baht between 2012 and 2021, and a further 1,000 baht between 2021 and 2023.
The court ruled that the conduct amounted to the misuse of state assets for personal benefit and violated regulations governing the use of official vehicles by local administrative organisations.